In Too Deep
by Jenna822
Summary: *Short Story* Louis Weasley is stuck working as a waiter on a wedding cruise ship. The job is easy enough and it pays well. ...if he could only keep his eyes off the groom. *Louis/Benjamin* Cᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

**.**

It really isn't fair.

So there was some fire damage. And the bedroom door was _completely_ trashed. And maybe...just maybe most of Dominique's clothes are now nothing more than a pile of ash. And it's possible that the broken window was a result of the explosion, but that couldn't be proven! It doesn't matter though. Damage or not, it just is _not_ fair that my parents are making me get a job.

"Louis are you listening to me? I said my black pinstripe slacks with the butterfly on them."

Gods, is Dominique _still_ talking? She's only spent the last half hour going over every single item of clothing that she demands I replace. It's all rubbish. It isn't like I intentionally set off an experimental explosive in my sister's room.

...okay that's a lie.

But she completely deserved it. To be fair, I didn't know it would do quite so much damage, it was still in _testing_ stage. But I stand by the fact that she deserved it. Just look at her right now and you'll understand. Staring down at me with those judgmental eyes, that I'm-better-than-you sneer on her lips. She's had that attitude ever since she went off to school.

You see, Dominique was the first and only Ravenclaw to come out of the Weasley clan. After that she referred to the rest of us as Gryffindor lemmings, mindlessly filing into the crimson House like a bunch of uneducated fools. She thinks she's so superior. I ask you, if she's so great then why is she twenty-three and still living with mum and dad?

Before you start, yes I live with mum and dad too, but I'm only eighteen and I've only been out of school for two months. Give me time to settle.

"And I had two fuzzy sweaters: the baby blue one and the hot pink one."

Ew.

If you ask me, Dominique should be thanking me for ridding her of that one. Hot pink sweater. Red hair. I repeat: ew. Sometimes I feel sorry for her, getting all the Weasley genes like she did. Bright red hair, brown eyes, freckles splashed across her nose and that fiery temper. Victoire and I are certainly the lucky ones here. We both got mum's golden blonde hair and blue eyes. As for the temper...well no one's perfect.

"Dammit, Louis you're not even listening to me!"

"Just chill!" I've had enough. I get up and turn my back on my irate sister, which only makes her fume even more. "I'll replace your stupid clothes, every single _hideous_ item, I swear it. Just make a list or something."

Now she's even madder, if that's possible, but I saw it coming. "My clothes are not – were not hideous. I happen to love them." She makes a grab for my arm but I'm already bolting down the hallway to get away from her. "Louis, if you don't replace them all, mum and dad are gonna chuck you out, you heard them." I don't have to be looking at her to know she's wearing that smug grin and nodding.

I roll my eyes. "They aren't going to throw me out of the house. If anything, they should throw you out. Aren't you a little old to still be here?" Now it's my turn to look smug.

"At least I have a job," she counters.

"So do I." ...as of two days ago.

"Only because Victoire helped you out."

She _had_ to go there? Of course she had to go there. Universe forbid that she just keep things between us, no...she had to bring our older sister into the fight.

So it's true, if it weren't for Victoire I wouldn't have the job, but I could have found something on my own, eventually. If anything, I'm doing her a favor, she did say that they were short staffed and needed me. How hard can being a waiter be anyways? Carry some food or whatever, sounds simple. But the job isn't the point, the point is that Dominique had to bring _her_ up.

Victoire used to be my favourite person in the world. She's ten years older than me so she was the one I looked up to. Every summer she let me tag along with her and Teddy when they went to the village or went swimming. Even when her and Teddy started dating she still made plenty of time for her little brother. Granted, it was a little less, but that was understandable.

Then...she got this _job_. The opportunity of a lifetime, she calls it. She works under Fi-Fi Valentina, the top wedding planner in all of Europe. Victoire is her assistant, but she's more like a servant. She gets the coffee, carries the notebook, makes endless calls to caterers and florists. That doesn't really sound like a great job to me, but what do I know? Thanks to her opportunity of a lifetime career, Victoire has less than no time for me. She didn't even answer my owls all through my last year of school. If it weren't for Teddy, I wouldn't have even known they were engaged now.

"Shut up, Dominique!"

"No, I won't shut up. You started it, you little twit."

"Oh, we're stooping to name calling now?" I scoff. "I could think of a few dozen things to call you."

"That is enough, you two!" Dad is stomping down the stairs with that shut-up-already look on his face and his fingers on his temples massaging at them.

He does that a lot.

I open my mouth to speak, but he holds up his hand and shakes his head. "Dominique, make a list of whatever the clothes were and _Louis_, go to your room and get your bag packed for the week. Teddy will be here to get you in about ten minutes."

I can't help but grin. After all, making a list is exactly what I told Dominique to do; now she has no choice. Essentially I won this one. That fact does not escape her and I can hear her seething all the way back to Victoire's old room – where she has to stay until hers is fully restored. I still have to buy back my sister's ridiculous wardrobe but sometimes a minor victory is enough to tide me over.

I've already packed so all I can do now is wait. My large bag sits on my bed, the recipient of a small expanding charm to hold more of my stuff. I know I'll only be gone for a week, but I have no idea what I'll be facing out there. It's stuffed full of work clothes, casual clothes, dressy clothes, party clothes, not to mention the shoes...

I take the extra time to give myself a look over in the mirror. Spiky blonde hair exactly how I want it? Check. I always leave it slightly tousled, gives me that fresh out of bed look that people seem to find oh-so-attractive. Not that I really need the help, I'm pretty hot already.

That's not being conceited; it's just a fact. You hear it enough and you start to believe it. And trust me, people are none too shy with the compliments when I'm around. Gets a bit tiring to be honest.

My future brother-in-law barges into the room just as I'm winking at myself in the mirror. Can't he knock? I duck my head to hide the red on my cheeks and gather up my bag without a word.

"You don't wanna give your reflection a good-bye kiss?" Teddy teases as we head out of my room.

I barely manage a _shut up_ type response before Dominique is once again trailing me down the stairs and reminding me not to screw up the job so she doesn't have to wait forever to get her clothes back. I don't know why she's whining; mum and dad will replace everything the moment I'm gone and make me pay them back. I would bet my last Galleon on it.

Not that I have any Galleons, but you get the point.

Teddy grabs my arm when we're clear of the house's anti-Apparation charms. I don't mind Apparating, but I hate Side-Along. It always makes me feel like a child. I don't much have a choice this time though, I haven't a clue where I'm even going. All I know is that we're meeting at a little magical Port just outside of Ipswich. That's where we get on the cruise ship.

Did I forget to mention the ship? I'm not just going to be any old wedding waiter. I get to be a wedding _cruise_ waiter.

We're going to leave the Port and head down to the Strait of Dover where we'll connect to the English Channel. That'll take us down to the Bay of Biscay where we'll dock in San Sebastián. It's a three day, two night cruise, then we get to stay in a fancy hotel in San Sebastián where the actual wedding will take place. After that, the happy newlyweds will head off on their honeymoon while the wedding guests get to enjoy a nice cruise back to Ipswich.

"Just let me lead; I don't want you getting splinched."

Does he have to use that tone of voice with me? I'm an adult; not six-years-old for crying out loud. "Yeah; I know how to do it." The glare I shoot Teddy negates my claim of being an adult, but he only rolls his eyes at it.

I hear him mutter, "Smart ass," under his breath just before he turns on the spot and we Disapparate with a tiny _pop_. The smell of salt water and fish hits me before I open my eyes. I crinkle my nose and hesitantly look around.

I don't get to see the Port though because Victoire is instantly blocking my vision. Her blonde hair is tossed up on her head in a intentionally messy bun. She's wearing the most ridiculous outfit, a tiny white skirt and mock-sailor shirt with a blue pointed tie. All I can guess is that it's meant to be cute but I think she looks like a caricature. She even has a white hat clasped in her hands with her clipboard.

Then I panic. "I don't have to dress like that, do I?"

"Nice to see you too, little brother." Victoire frowns at me but I don't care. I'm still worrying about the possibility that I may have to wear a fake sailor outfit. "No, Louis you don't have to. You're just wearing slacks and a dress shirt," she finally says. "Just come with me."

I turn to say good-bye to Teddy but he's already vanishing in a crowd of people. Victoire is rambling on about something to do with menus and thinking that one of her heels is taller than the other, but I'm too busy staring at the ship as we board to pay attention. The ship is huge.

And I mean _huge_. Think about the size of a football pitch and triple it. That's how big this ship is. I can see the outline of a swimming pool in the distance and a golden archway that Victoire tells me leads to the dining hall. But we have to go to the servants' quarters first.

Did she just call me a servant?

I don't argue though and keep following her through hallway after hallway, each one darting off towards shopping areas, game rooms and bars. After a flight of stairs, we finally get to the end of the line and there stands an ordinary door with a plaque reading _Servants' Quarters_ upon it. At least she was being literal and not putting me down. That's something I suppose.

"You're in room four. I have to go find Mrs. Valentina, the guests are already boarding and she likes to give each wedding that...personal touch. Now Louis -"

Great, she's using that same tone of voice that mum always use when she took us to King's Cross. _Now Louis_ she'd say, followed by a list of about twenty things she didn't want me to do at school. In fourth year I did every one of them by the end of the first week.

"- I only have two rules for you," Victoire continues. "Don't set off any fireworks and don't sleep with any of the guests."

Wait...is she serious? "Are you serious?" I raise my eyebrows. She can't be serious. "What if a guest hits on me?"

"Don't." Her eyes are stern and her fingers are curled so tightly around her pen that I'm pretty sure she's going to snap it. "Mister Dubois paid a _lot_ of money for this cruise and he doesn't want the help pawing at his rich and powerful guests. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," I mutter. "Wait, so what about the other waiters?" I flash her one of those cheeky smiles and her face goes red. "Alright, fine. No touching the guests or other waiters." I hold up my hands in surrender and she relaxes.

"Can you get settled in on your own?"

I nod but she doesn't see because she's already got her eyes on her clipboard and is taking back off down the hallway from whence we came. Holding back the urge to sigh dramatically is no easy feat, so I don't even bother; I let out an over dramatic, poor-me sigh and push into the servants' quarters.

Considering the place is labeled _Servants' Quarters_, it's actually pretty nice. As I'm searching for room number four I spot the name of the ship written across a life preserver on the wall. In fancy blue script the words _H.M.S. Eternally Yours_ shine out at me.

My eyes roll so hard it hurts. Eternally yours? I get that it's a wedding cruise ship but the way marriages go these days, the name _H.M.S. Give Us Five Years_ would be more accurate. Lucky for me the eye-catching preserver is located right next to my room door.

There's already someone inside room number four. He's tall with messy black hair and large dark brown eyes. His skin is very tan and his features give him a Spanish appearance. When he speaks, I'm sold on his Spanish origin, because he has a fading accent that leads me to believe that he's been around the UK for quite some time now.

"Hello." he says, giving me a friendly smile. "I'm Julian. You must be Louis; your sister has told me all about you."

"Nothing good I'm sure." I force out a little laugh and put my bag on the floor. The room is pretty small, but I don't plan on spending too much time in it anyway.

"Top or bottom?"

"What?" I spin around with a laugh, not sure I heard Julian correctly.

He's standing with an amused smirk on his lips and pointing towards the bunk beds against the back wall of the room. To say I start blushing would win me an understatement-of-the-year award. I just turn my back on him and mutter that it's his choice while pulling my hair product from my bag. There's two tiny dressers and I don't bother asking which he'd like, I just claim the closest one to me. We finish unpacking and settling the room in silence. I'm not sure if he's staying quiet for my sake or because I've already managed to leave a bad impression.

It's usually the latter. I don't exactly have a lot of...friends.

"You should go ahead and get changed. We serve dinner tonight," Julian says before slipping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

"Right..." I say, even though he's gone and can't hear. No one was specific on what to wear so I pull on some black slacks and a white polo shirt. After a few glances in the mirror I head back out of the room and hope that I can find my way to the dining hall again.

I get up the stairs alright and start down the long hallway Victoire lead me through. Just as I'm passing by a set of swinging doors, I hear breaking glass and muffled swear words. I smirk and have a peek inside, realizing that it's the bar. "Everything alright in here?"

"Yeah it's fine!" comes a rather frantic male voice.

I look around but can't see anyone, so I venture closer to the bar and lean over it. My teeth sink into my lower lip as I spot someone bent over, picking up shards of glass from the floor and dropping them into a tiny rubbish bin. My first instinct is to say _hello gorgeous_ because from what I can see, he is. But I've been down that road too many times, just because someone has a nice backside doesn't mean the rest of them will measure up.

"You need any help?"

The other guy runs rigid and jumps to his feet. He's a bit unsteady on his feet and I wonder how long he's been in the bar alone. "I'm fine; you can go. It fell off the edge, not a big deal, it's all cleaned up now." He sounds so panicked but I barely hear what he's saying.

Not that I'm ignoring him on purpose, but he's got these dark blue eyes and I'm such a pushover for blue eyes and they are the most intense – Well I think you understand. So I just stand there staring at him for a moment with my mouth hanging open like some kind of ignorant trout.

He gives me this adorably nervous smile and backs away, hitting the liquor shelf behind him. "I said you can go," he insists, dragging a shaky hand through his dirty blonde hair.

"You're cut," I say distantly, trying out my voice like it's been ages since I've spoken. "Here." I hold out my hand as he stares in horror at an almost indistinguishable cut on his palm. "It's just a little one, give me your hand."

"It doesn't even hurt," he whispers as he lays his hand in mine and watches me press a bar towel against it. "It was a glass." He sounds so broken and ashamed. "I must have...dropped it or something."

"How much have you had to drink?" I pull out my wand and cast a simple healing charm on his wound. It doesn't take long because his cut is so small, but I can't will myself to let go of his hand right away. And to be honest he doesn't seem too bothered for me to let go either.

He avoids my eyes and nudges a half empty bottle of rum on the bar. "I opened it," he mutters, pulling his healed hand away and rubbing at his eyes. "Oh...thanks." He waves his hand at me and starts around the bar, nearly tripping over the bottom decorative ledge on it.

"Easy!" I hold out my hands but he steadies himself. "Maybe you should go lay down."

"That's where I was going."

"Right." I follow behind him because honestly I'm not sure if he can make it to the room on his own. "Do you want some help?"

"You wanna come to my room?" He turns towards me and walks backwards towards the door. His lips pull into an almost sinister grin and I feel my heart skip a beat. ...or seven. I'm just on the edge of screaming yes when he trips over absolutely nothing on the floor and goes crashing down.

I rush over and drop to my knees, trying to make sure that my mystery blonde is alright. "You okay?" I take his hands and pull us both to our feet. "You should let me help you back to your room. I promise not to try anything," I add with a grin.

And I wouldn't. Attractive or not, the guy's so drunk he can't walk straight.

"Well that's too bad," he says with a whisper. He chuckles drunkenly and steps away, putting his finger to his lips in a shushing way. "I shouldn't say that." He shakes his head and keeps backing towards the door. "Nope, nope, nope. I gotta go blondie." He leans against the door-frame.

My hand jumps to my golden hair and I grin. "Wait, at least tell me your name," I beg. He shakes his head and I instantly feel like a little defeated mouse being batted between a cat's paws. "Well are you here for the wedding?" He nods and I push on. "Are you a friend of the bride or groom?"

His face goes blank for a flash and he smiles again. "Let's just say that I am definitely _not_ a friend of the bride. Honestly...I can't stand her." He meets my eyes and stumbles back out of the bar, vanishing with the swing of the door.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

**.**

I stand there in silence, unable to make myself move. My eyes won't leave the swinging door where my mystery blue-eyed-blonde has just vanished. It takes a moment for my brain to catch up with my feet but I finally start through the door after him.

For his own safety, of course.

He's gone! The hall is stark empty and I can't see his stumbling self in the distance either. One of the other passengers must have spotted him and helped him to his room; a mate or maybe a...girlfriend. I cringe at the thought and shake my head. No way he has a girlfriend, not the way he was looking at me. A boyfriend perhaps, but that's never really stopped me before.

I'm not too worried, we'll be on the same ship for the next three days and it's not as though he can leave. Before you start in about how my sister told me not to sleep with any of the guests, you have to be realistic here. I might be good looking and rather charming, if I do say so myself, and I _do_ say so myself, but I don't always have the widest selection of guys that are my _type_. So when tall, blonde and gorgeous gives me a smile like that, I'm not about to let my _sister_ stop me from giving it a shot.

Besides, what she doesn't know won't hurt her.

...or me, as the case may be.

"Louis?" The sound of Julian's voice pulls me from my thoughts and I give the man a small wave. He's charging down the hall towards me, wearing one of those just-lost-your-puppy frowns and muttering under his breath in Spanish. "I've been looking for you. I thought you would have been in the dining room by now. Did you get lost?" He glances towards the swinging doors of the bar and lifts a brow.

"I wasn't lost. I was helping a passenger who was a little lost, actually." It's kind of true. In the remotest way. But it's none of his business what I was doing to begin with.

Julian lets out a sigh and rolls his eyes at me. "I would appreciate it if you didn't get me so worried. I promised your sister that I would look out for you."

"If you were that worried, you shouldn't have left me alone." I purse my lips in a way that says _point_ _made_, but he keeps right on staring at me like I'm his naughty little dog. "It's a _ship_ for crying out loud. What's the worst that can happen to me? I can't exactly take wrong turn beside the pool and end up in the Romanian forest."

He laughs and flashes me the kind of smile that would send a weaker man swooning right off the edge of the ship. I just walk away. It's not that Julian isn't attractive, but I'm not at all interested.

_One_: He's already got it in his head that I'm some child who can't walk from one end of the ship to the other without getting lost. _Two_: He just admitted to being my sister's little henchman. _Three_: He's obviously straight. I can't explain how I know, you can just tell sometimes.

Even if all of that was different, it wouldn't matter. I can't get my mind off the guy from the bar. I can be...persistent, to say the least. I wouldn't go as far as obsessive, but once I get something, or someone, in my sights, I don't just let it go.

Right now I have to focus on my job, though. I take the tiny name tag and pin it to my shirt, checking in the mirror to make sure it's nice and straight. Alright...I just wanted to check my hair.

"Come on." Julian taps my shoulder and leads me over to the counter. "Okay, let me tell you how you do this." He holds up an empty plate and starts giving me the ins and outs of serving.

I was listening! I swear on everything that I was listening to every word he said, but as it turns out, I am a _horrible_ waiter.

I go the entire night forgetting orders, mixing up tables, spilling drinks and bumping into other waiters. Some of the young women find it amusing; they spend the whole time giggling at me and batting their lashes. Their dates don't find it quite so funny. By the end of the dinner service, I am exhausted, my best shoes have champagne on them and most of the other waiters are glaring at me like I've set the place on fire.

Which is a bad example considering I knocked over a candle on one table and burnt a cloth napkin. But it isn't like the whole dining room went up. And the old lady at the table barely noticed. The only good thing that came out of the night was that mystery-bar-guy wasn't at dinner to see me make a complete fool out of myself.

I offer to stay behind and clean up for some of the guys whose night I made especially difficult. They don't exactly thank me, but their glares get a little less deadly as they file out of the dining room, leaving Julian and myself to tame the mess.

I pull out my wand and get to work on straightening up the table cloths and removing any stains from dinner. I reset the tables and arrange the flatware for breakfast. It's decided that the candles won't be brought back. Apparently the old lady whose napkin caught fire was the bride's grandmother or something.

"Hey blondie."

My whole body tenses at the sound of _his_ voice. I put on my best smile and spin around, still clutching the knife and fork I'm meant to be arranging. "Hey yourself."

He looks like hell. His hair is all messy and sticking up a bit in the back, his clothes are a tad wrinkled and he hasn't bothered tucking in his dress shirt or even buttoning it, leaving the plain white tee beneath exposed. His eyes are heavy like he hasn't slept in days, but they're still that deep, shining blue that you could just spend the entire night staring into and -

What? He may look like hell but he's still gorgeous.

"I missed dinner." He looks around and takes on a low tone, like he's afraid of being overheard. "Do you think I could have something?"

"The chefs are all gone." I bite my bottom lip and put down the flatware. He looks disappointed and I can't allow that. "Which means the kitchen is empty. I bet we could find you something."

He smiles and starts off for the back, not even waiting for me. I hurry across the room to where Julian is freshening up the flowers in the centerpieces and grab his arm. "I'm going to help out a guest. You can go on without me when you're done." Before I dash off, I'm sure to add, "If I get lost, I'll send up flares," in the most sarcastic tone I can muster. He just smirks at me and I run off to catch up with mystery-bar-guy.

I cannot keep calling him mystery-bar-guy.

"What's your name?" I follow him into the kitchen and watch as he mills about the room for a minute.

"Pancakes?" He turns back to me and grins.

"That's an unfortunate name, mate." We both chuckle and I start the search for flour.

"Benjamin." He lays out a pan, mixing bowl, spoon, spatula, two plates and some forks onto the large counter at the side of the kitchen.

I bite my lip and finish getting the ingredients for making the pancakes. He goes right to work, not even needing a recipe. Eggs, milk, flour, sugar...he doesn't even measure them. I start to wonder if he's a really good cook or if these pancakes are going to end up being a disaster.

Then he looks up and meets my eyes and I forget what we're even doing. "Louis..." He looks deep in thought but I can't figure out how he even knows my name. He must see the confusion in my eyes because he taps on my name tag and I go red. "Weasley." His eyes widen and he gets this look of complete realization on his face.

"Yeah." I grin and look around. I feel like I'm missing something.

"You don't remember?" He chuckles and sighs and goes back to staring into the mixing bowl. "I think you were a fifth year. I was Head Boy and gave you three weeks detention for setting fire to a tapestry on the...fourth floor, I think it was."

I bust into laughter. "It was the third floor and that was _you_? Can't blame me for not remembering, I think I had my own chair in detention."

For the record, the tapestry was just fine!

...mostly.

"Wouldn't surprise me. The Prefects had a little nickname for you." He cringes and I decide I don't want to know what said nickname was.

"Wait...if you were the Head Boy who gave me detention then you were the one whose shoes I jinxed to whistle at every professor that walked by."

I laugh but he doesn't. "That wasn't funny! I had to go barefoot for two days." His eyes narrow and a small smile finally breeches his lips. "Alright it was kind of funny. You're lucky I didn't know it was you." He waves the mixing spoon at me threateningly and moves over to the stove.

I watch him start up the stove and get to work on cooking. "Too bad I was so distracted with the fire and detention." He throws me a confused look and I walk over to stand beside him. "Well if I had met you under better circumstances, we could have been..._making_ _pancakes_ two years ago." I wink at him and he flusters the spatula right onto the floor.

"Just find the syrup." He sounds annoyed as he gets a new spatula and focuses on the food.

I just smirk and do as he asks. "Hey, there's some strawberries in here," I say, pointing towards the cooler. "Should I get a few?"

He looks back and nods, that bright smile returning to his face. I grab the berries. He finishes making the pancakes. We pour glasses of orange juice and take a seat on two stools at the large counter, leaving the mess to take care of after eating.

"So, Benjamin... _Benjamin_? That name sounds too stodgy for you."

"I am stodgy."

"Oh please. No guy who gets drunk at four in the afternoon and sneaks into the kitchen to make pancakes can be that stodgy." I hold up a strawberry and wave it at him teasingly.

He snags the berry and throws me a stern look. "Don't you dare call me Ben."

"Wouldn't dream of it." My hands go up in surrender and I think over some names in my head. "How about _Benji_?"

"Benji?"

"I like Benji." I lean a little closer but he seems to develop a fascination with looking anywhere but at me. I follow his gaze to the kitchen doors and sigh. "You always seem so nervous."

"Maybe that's because I am." He licks his lips and stabs at his pancakes with growing aggression. "I just don't want to get caught is all. I mean, we aren't supposed to be in here this late. I'm sure they wouldn't say anything to me but you could get in trouble."

"Don't worry, Trouble is my middle name, I'm used to it. I'll be fine."

"Really?"

"No, not really." I laugh a little. "My middle name is William. My parents would be begging for me to hang from the rafters if they named me that."

"I meant -" He puts his fork down and rolls his eyes. "- really would you be fine if we got caught."

"Oh. Probably. Don't care, to be honest." I look down at my pancakes and go silent. They really are good; the perfect amount of sweetness, the right texture, I can taste a hint of lemon in them too. Hell, they're better than my Grandma Weasley's.

Don't you dare tell her I said that!

"Can I be honest with you?" Benjamin takes a long drink that I imagine is more stalling than thirst-quenching. "I'm not really worried about what would happen to you if we got caught. More like I'm worried what would happen if _I_ got caught _with_ you." He shifts on his stool and looks at me hesitantly.

"What's so wrong with me?" I can't help feeling a bit wounded. "Is it because I'm just some waiter?"

"No." His tone is so sharp. "It has nothing to do with your job."

"Well..." I push my plate away and grab the last strawberry. "It's not like you're doing anything wrong. Just getting some food." I smirk and hold the berry out towards him. "Right?"

"Right."

He reaches for the berry but I pull it away just before his fingers can touch it. I hold the strawberry to my lips and give him a cheeky grin. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want this?" He leans towards me and grins, his eyes lingering on the strawberry then meeting mine. My teeth sink into the sweet fruit and my eyes roll back slightly. I hum softly against the red flesh, allowing myself to get lost in the flavour.

Okay, my reaction has nothing to do with the strawberry and everything to do with making him squirm.

He grabs my hand, pulling the strawberry to his own lips, and looks into my eyes as he takes a bite. His lips brush against my fingertips and he lets out a sound of pleasure that makes me go weak.

"You win." ...did I say that out loud?

"I win?" He smirks and takes the rest of the strawberry from my fingers. "What do I win, blondie?"

"Anything you want, gorgeous."

"Anything?"

I nod slowly and he puts his hand on the edge of my seat. He leans over me and brushes his nose against mine. What's my name again? No, seriously...he's so close I can't even think straight. I can feel his breath on my lips and his eyes are staring deep into mine. "_Anything_ at all?" he whispers, his words sending a shiver down my spine. I can only nod again and he grins.

"I want you to clean up." He pulls away, pats my shoulder and gets to his feet.

Tease!

I jump up and make a sound that resembles a dying bird. "You can't just...just – you can't just do that and then say that and then get up like that." I'm half-laughing from the shock and pure evil of it.

"You said I could have anything." He holds out his hands with a rather smug look on his face.

I stand there, speechless. He has a point, but he didn't have to be so bloody torturous about it. I just scoff and turn my back on Benjamin, attending to the plates left behind. I don't hear the door open so I know he doesn't leave, but I keep my eyes on my work, gathering up the dishes and taking everything to the sink. The water is too hot, but I don't flinch because I can feel him watching me. I start splashing around in the water, soap slinging here and there as I swat at the first plate with the sponge.

"You're doing it wrong." Footsteps draw nearer but I just keep on with what I'm doing. "Have you never done dishes before?" He chuckles and puts his hands on my shoulders, running them down the length of my arms. His fingers position over mine and gently guide me in what I'm doing. "You have to be careful or you'll break something."

"Then maybe you should do it." I push him away and snap up a dishtowel to dry my hands.

He just shakes his head and picks up a glass. "Now you're going to be all mad at me?"

"Maybe." I put up my nose and cross my arms. "I don't like being teased."

"Is that what I was doing?" He sounds so innocent and sweet. All an act! He's wearing that same sinister grin he had in the bar. "I didn't realize I was teasing you." Oh, he may _seem_ clueless, just standing there, washing the dishes, his messy hair falling into those deep blue eyes, just begging to be pushed away and I bet it's really soft – What was my point?

Damn him.

As hard as it is to look away, and it is _very_ hard to look away, I do. "Don't act so innocent. You know what you're doing."

He laughs softly and turns off the water, then takes the dishtowel from me to dry his own hands. "Of course I do, I'm not stupid." He smirks and puts his hands on either side of me, resting them against the counter I'm leaning upon. "We really shouldn't do this."

"Shouldn't do what, exactly? Eat dinner? Do dishes?"

"Now who's putting on an act?"

I allow myself to look back up at Benjamin and grin. "Well if we shouldn't be doing this, then why are you?" My fingers tug at the hem of his open dress shirt.

"Call it a surge of rebellion."

"If you're looking to piss off mummy and daddy then you're going to have to do a lot more than feed me pancakes." I twist my fingers into his shirt and pull him closer. It's taking every bit of restraint I possess to keep from throwing him against the wall and kissing him until he can't stand up.

He snakes his arm around my waist and pulls me flush against his body. My heart's beating so loud I'm sure he can hear it. He lays his other hand on the side of my neck and draws closer. "Unless I made them for you again in the morning," he whispers before closing that miniscule distance that still lingers between our lips.

I melt beneath his kiss and whimper desperately. My arms wrap around his neck, determined not to let him pull away. My skin feels like it's on fire and I just want more. His hand rests flat against the small of my back and I'm grateful for the support, otherwise I might just turn into a puddle and slide into the floor. I push my fingers into his hair and wind the dirty blonde strands around them. It's soft. So, so...soft. He holds me tighter, mouth moving skillfully against mine. His lips are tender and smooth. He tastes of syrup and strawberries and I'm instantly addicted. I hope the moment never ends.

"Benjamin?" comes a voice from the dining room.

"Fuck," Benjamin hisses and pulls his lips away, arms still wrapped tightly around me. "I have to go. That's my mum, she can't see us." He silences my attempted protests with a chaste kiss and looks into my eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you into my mess."

"Who's being dragged?" I try to hold on but he pries my arms from around his neck and moves away. "You don't have to go, Benji. You can sneak off with me and she'll never know."

"That sounds beyond tempting." He smiles but I can tell he's going to leave. "But I have to go. Please, just...stay in here -"

"Benjamin, are you in here?"

"- until you hear us leave." He gives me a pained look and dashes off.

Once again, my blue-eyed-blonde vanishes with the swing of a door.

This. Cannot. Keep. Happening.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

**.**

Honestly, I feel like screaming. It's almost unbearable that a man of twenty, maybe twenty-one, would let his _mum_ drag him off. He seemed so terrified of her catching us together. Part of me is furious, but I know that I shouldn't be. It isn't always easy for someone to come out to their parents. Not everyone has a family like mine.

I remember my coming out speech. It wasn't so much a speech as my mum looking at me across the dining room table and saying _Louis, you're gay, right?_ and me nodding. I'm one of the lucky ones and I know it. Both of my parents and my sisters are completely accepting. They've never done or said anything to make me feel bad or out of place.

But I don't know Benjamin's parents, so I can't assume he has the privilege of being his true self around them. So, as he requested, I wait until I hear their voices fade away to peek out of the tiny window in the kitchen door. I barely catch a glimpse of Benjamin throwing one last, longing glance back towards the kitchen before vanishing away with his mother.

His disappearing acts should be enough to make me stop bothering with him, but that isn't how I operate. I've never been one to give up and I'm not about to start now. I shuffle my way back to my room, grateful to find that Julian is already curled up asleep on the bottom bunk. After a long shower I change into my night pants and climb up the tiny ladder to the top bunk.

It doesn't matter that I brushed my teeth three times, I can still taste him on my lips. Maybe it's all in my head, but my skin still tingles in every place he touched me. I pull my pillow into my arms and wave my wand at the tiny lamp, plunging the room into darkness.

Sleep comes fast and I dream of him.

Embarrassingly enough, I need another shower upon waking. It's been two years since that's happened to me, but I'm in too much of a hurry to think about it. I've woken up late thanks to Julian turning off the alarm and not telling me.

"I don't see why you needed to get up an hour and a half before your shift." Julian is baffled as to why I'm mad that he's left me with only twenty minutes to get ready.

He doesn't understand that it takes time to look as good as I do. I can't just roll out of bed, pull on some clothes and be ready to go. I don't care if it's annoying or that people accuse me of primping, I take pride in my appearance. I just scowl at a confused Julian and shove him out of the bathroom so I can work on my hair in peace.

I manage to pull myself together in the allotted time, but I'm nowhere near satisfied with my reflection. I don't even have a chance to check that my outfit works before Julian's dragging me out of the room. "I shouldn't have worn these shoes." He isn't paying attention to my mutterings but I don't care, I'm not actually talking to him anyways. It's more for my own sake. "Maybe I can go back real fast and -"

"No." Julian's dark brown eyes narrow as he thrusts a notepad into my hands. "You're not going back."

"What's this for?" I turn the pad over in my hands and raises my eyebrows.

"You couldn't remember the orders last night. You can write them down until you're more...accustomed to the job." He doesn't even hide the smug look on his face. "Try to watch where you're going a little more. The other guys didn't exactly enjoy being knocked over."

"Oh, they didn't? I never would have guessed." My lips purse in pure annoyance. Excuse me for not being a top notch waiter on my very first attempt. I bite back the desire to call him something foul and walk away. The last thing I need is to get into an argument with my roommate. I'm stuck with him for another night, then the entire trip back. It wouldn't bode well to make things more tense than they already are.

Serving breakfast is a _lot_ easier than dinner. There's only about four things you can order and after that it's just _How would you like your eggs?_. I even make it the entire shift without spilling anything on anyone. There's still the whole issue with bumping into the other waiters, but by now they should know to move if they see me coming. I can't be expected to do everything right on my second try.

In all honesty, I could probably be doing a better job if Benjamin wasn't here. He's sitting at one of the main tables with who I can only assume are his parents. The man on his right is quite tall and has neatly arranged dark hair. He's been wearing a pissed off look on his face since the moment he stepped into the dining hall and he hasn't even looked up long enough for me to see his eyes.

The woman to Benjamin's left is very obviously his mother. She has that same dirty blonde hair and those same dark blue eyes. Her lips are shaped just like his and I wonder if her face would light up when she smiles, the same way his does. She doesn't look the type to smile too often though, not a real smile at least. She's been throwing those fake, people-pleasing smiles to every person who passes since she walked through the door.

I'm just thankful that I don't have to wait on their table. Benjamin's mother keeps snapping her fingers at the waiter and she's made him take her plate back three times. And poor, poor Benjamin, he looks so miserable. Four times now, I've caught him looking at me across the dining hall, but I'm trying to be coy about all of this. Doesn't matter that I feel like running over and dragging him out of the room, I just pretend like I didn't see him looking and keep on with my work.

When they finally leave, my heart sinks. I try to forget about it all for now because it's time to clean up the dining hall before the lunch crowd arrives. I'm just straightening out the tablecloths when I feel a tap on my shoulder.

One of the other waiters, his name is Conner, is giving me a big smile and has that up-to-something look in his eyes. "You did better today."

"Thanks." I turn away from him, but he just lingers behind me while I finish with the table I'm working on. "Did you...need something?"

"Well..." He pushes his shaggy brown hair from his eyes and quirks his head. "I heard around that you're kind of good with fireworks."

Kind of good? _Kind of_ good? Who the hell does this guy think he's talking to? I am not _kind of_ anything. I am amazing. I've been helping my Uncle George with his designs since I was thirteen. I've already managed to craft my own – You know what, it doesn't matter. The point is, this guy wants something from me involving fireworks and I am all ears!

"Yeah, I'm kind of good." Hey, it's called modesty. Fake or not, it's required sometimes.

"Well the crew's all getting together tonight. We're gonna have a few drinks and play some music on the far deck since there's some kind of big tournament going on at the other end of the ship and most of the guests will be down there."

"What's that got to do with fireworks?"

"The bride, she's like Belgian or French or some crap and she has these two really, really hot friends. And when I say hot, I mean _wow_! So last night, me and Derek were talking to them and -"

"Can you get to the point?" Seriously, this guy...

"Okay, okay, sorry! The point is that we told these girls we could show them an awesome firework show. But the only fireworks on the ship are kind of lame and we thought that maybe you could help us out." Conner stuffs his hands in his pockets and puts on one of those puppy dog faces.

I laugh a little because he looks ridiculous doing it, but I agree to help him out. "Under one condition."

"Anything, mate."

"If you get caught with them, or if you get in trouble for shooting them off, you _cannot_ say where you got them."

"My lips are sealed. We get busted and I've never even met you." Conner gives a little nod and I turn back to my work. "You should come up to the deck party too. It's gonna be pretty fun. _And_...I'm sure if you asked Katelyn she'd come with you. She's been staring at you half the morning."

"Katelyn? You mean the hostess girl?" I laugh a little and shake my head. "She's not my type."

"Not your type? It's one party and you've never even spoken to her."

"_She_ is not my type," I repeat, giving Conner one of those _get-my-drift?_ type of glances. He makes an "Oh" sound and quickly drops the matter. "Come on, I'll get the fireworks for you." I leave the table I've finished and start for the dining room door, the other waiter right on my heels.

I had only brought a few of my fireworks along for the trip with the intention of using them once we got to San Sebastián. But I don't mind sharing if there's a good reason.

Yes, impressing dates _is_ a good reason!

They aren't even my best ones, but Conner is amazed by them. He thanks me like fifty times as he collects the small offering and stuffs them into a bag. "This is gonna be great. Those girls are gonna be putty in our hands after they see these."

I shrug a little. "Good luck with that." It's all a bit amusing, really. From the little experience I've had with girls and fireworks, they hate the things. Then again, that's just been my sisters and cousins and my gods, some of those girls can find something to hate about everything!

Just as I'm leading Conner out of my room, I see _him_. Benjamin is walking very slowly down the servants' quarters' hallway, peeking towards each door he passes. I cross my arms over my chest and put on a rather smug look. He's looking for me.

He spots me. Then spots Conner and a frown crosses his lips. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, he was just leaving." I wave Conner away and he hurries off, clinging to his bag like it's filled with gold. I don't bother to explain the other guy's reasons for being in my room. For one thing, it's not really Benjamin's business. For another, I'm rather enjoying that jealous look in his eyes.

I know, I know...playing games is immature, blah blah blah...

Benjamin steps past me and walks into my room without a word. I have to admit, I like this intrusion. If only he didn't have that worried look in his eyes. He pulls me inside and closes the door behind us. "I need to apologize for last night."

"No you don't. You can't help that your mum came -"

"No, not for that." He holds up his hand and lets out a sharp breath. "I need to apologize for all of it. For teasing you, for kissing you, for...even showing up like that." I try to speak but he shoots me a look that keeps me quiet. "I shouldn't have done it. This...this me and you thing, it can't happen."

"Because your parents don't know that you're gay?"

He chews his lip and turns away from me. "My life is kind of complicated right now. I can't be running around messing with guys like you."

"Guys _like_ me?" I'm not sure if I should be offended or not.

"You know...hot, bold...secure."

Okay, I'm definitely not offended! "You're pretty hot yourself, you know?" He scoffs but I just ignore it. "And you can be secure too. I wasn't always this confident."

"You don't understand." He turns back around and grabs my shoulders. "We can't happen. Last night was a mistake and I want you to stay away from me."

"Stay away from you?"

"Yes!"

I push his hands off my shoulders and scowl. "You came here. You hunted me down and now you're telling _me_ to stay away from you? That's real rich. Do you get some kind of thrill off playing with me? Does it make you happy to watch me dance around on your little strings."

"Don't be so dramatic." Benjamin scrunches his face and stares at the wall. "It was one stupid kiss and you're acting like it mattered."

"It did matter." I huff. "That was not a _one time_ type of kiss. That was a leading kiss. It was a we-should-take-this-elsewhere kiss!"

"Maybe it was. But it isn't going to happen." He shrugs and starts for the door. "Just see it as me changing my mind."

"More like someone changing your mind for you," I argue. I back against the door to keep him from leaving. "Tell me that you're not interested. Look me in the eyes and say that you want nothing to do with me. Go on. Do it and you can be on your way."

Benjamin puts his hands on the door beside my head, trapping me between. He stares right into my eyes and I feel my knees go weak again. It kills me how quickly how he can have that effect. My heart is already speeding up and I'm terrified he's going to say it. I swallow hard and wait for him to brush me off, but the words don't come.

Instead of a hasty goodbye, I'm met with a kiss. It's warm and soft and over way too soon. I grab his shirt and pull him closer. He doesn't even resist. He pushes me against the door and lays his hands on my shoulders, then rewards me with another kiss. I don't allow him to pull away so quickly this time; I wrap my arms around his neck and hold him desperately.

It's hot, it's passionate, it's amazing and it's..._interrupted_!

A banging on the door breaks us apart. "Louis, are you in there?" There's no one I would want to hear less at this moment than my sister, but there she is. She sounds annoyed too.

I wave my hands for Benjamin to hide in the bathroom and pull open the door wearing the most innocent expression I can muster up. "What's up?" It sounds a little too innocent and she notices.

"I don't know what you're up to, but put an end to it." Victoire barges into the room and crosses her arms. "I've been hearing a rumor going around that some of the staff are planning a little party for tonight. Have you heard anything about this?"

I pout out my lips and answer with a shrug, pulling a heavy frown from my sister. "Don't look at me like that. I haven't heard anything about a party." Her face is skeptical and I sigh. "Fine, I heard something. But it's none of my business and I'm not telling you anything else."

"You tell me who's planning it." She shoves her finger in my face and strikes a pose that makes her look identical to our mother. "I'm serious, Louis."

"I think his name was...Gabe. Yeah, Gabe something." I'm a bit of a lousy liar, but surprisingly she relaxes and steps away. "Is that all?"

Victoire's entire body tenses up as she goes to leave the room. "You stay away from that party. I went out on a limb for you with this job and I will not have you throwing my effort overboard."

"I didn't plan on going."

"Good."

"Is that it?" There are days that I can go hours stringing along one of my sisters until she's so mad her face goes purple, but considering the flight-prone guy I have hidden in my room, it's better to just let her walk away with her sanity this time.

Victoire bashes from the room and I listen for the click of her heels to fade away down the hall before locking the door. "Alright, she's gone." I free Benjamin from the bathroom and take him by the hands. "That was my sister."

"She's charming." He grins and puts his arms around my waist. "Why are you so damn hard to stay away from, blondie?"

I flash a huge smile and play with the ends of his dirty blonde strands. "Why do you keep trying to get rid of me?" I counter. "Am I being too easy? You like those hard-to-get types, don't you?"

"No! Gods no, I like when someone is open about what they want."

"Then what is it?"

"It's not you. I know that sounds like complete rubbish, but it really is me. And my family."

I nod and pull Benjamin closer. "There's no family here now. You don't have to run off."

Benjamin's eyes move to the door and back to me. I can practically see him mulling it over. Stay or go? I can only wait and hope. He chews the side of his bottom lip and lets out an adorable little whimper. "Alright, I can stay for...an hour."

"A whole hour?" I feign over excitement and laugh. "An hour sounds great." My hand passes over his chest and tugs at the hem of his tee-shirt. "What did you have in mind for this hour?" I give him a sneaky grin.

He licks his lips and glances towards the bunk beds. "Which one is yours?"

"Top."

"That's...rather unfortunate."

"We could go to your room."

"No!" Benjamin looks near horror struck. "We can't go there." He slips his hand behind my neck and pulls me into a deep, needful kiss. I lean against him and he takes a step back, walking us closer to the beds. "Good thing I'm not afraid of heights." He chuckles softly and drops his arms from my body so that he can climb the small ladder on the beds. "If we fall, I'm blaming you." He looks back and winks and all I can do is smile like a complete idiot.

I hurry up the ladder after him and we lay down on my pillow. I can't help but replay last night's dream over in my mind; it brings a wide smile to my face. My fingers play with the hem of Benjamin's shirt but he bats my hand away.

"We're not having sex." Benjamin gives me a little smile and pulls me closer.

"I...I thought that's why we came up here." I laugh nervously because I'm not sure if he's joking or not.

He shakes his head and brushes his fingers up and down my arm. "You don't seem like the kind who goes for one night stands."

"It's not even noon yet." I smirk and he laughs, but the resolve in his eyes doesn't change. "I'm not a one night stand type of person, but that's not what I'm looking for either."

"It's all I can offer." Benjamin gives me a sad smile and a soft kiss as he pulls me further into his arms. I'm a bit confused, but he smells so good and looks so sweet that I can't even form the words to ask for an explanation. He must see the distress in my eyes because he answers without prompt. "We can just kiss a little. There's nothing dangerous about that, right?"

"Right." I'm still confused, but I'm past the point of caring right now. I wrap my arms around Benjamin and pull him to me for another kiss. He can explain later...


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

**.**

Benjamin's promised hour stretches into two and I have no complaints. He keeps his arms wrapped around me the entire time, holding me close to his body and kissing me so softly I feel like it's all a dream. We don't kiss the entire time though.

We kiss a lot. A _lot_. But we talk as well.

Every time things get a little too heated, Benjamin pulls his lips from mine and gives me the sweetest smile I've ever seen. He asks me trivial questions – What's my favourite colour? What was my favourite subject in school? What's my favourite ice cream? – then I ask them right back and he resumes the tender kissing.

In case you're curious: I like blue, Charms and chocolate chip cookie dough; Benjamin prefers red, Transfigurations and strawberry.

When the time comes for him to leave, I don't bother hiding the saddened look on my face. But fact is, I have to go as well. It's time to serve lunch and I'm sure if I don't show up, Julian will just come looking for me anyways.

"Wait." I grab Benjamin's arm before he can open the door. "I wanna see you tonight. There's a little party on the deck later, why don't you come with me?"

"You mean the party you told your sister you weren't going to?" He gives me a little smirk.

"I tell my sister a lot of things." I laugh and bat my lashes at him. "There's going to be fireworks and drinking and music and your parents won't be there."

My mention of his parents sends a flash of possibility across his face but it quickly fades away. "I can't. I have some stupid gathering tonight. They'll go mental if I don't show up." He lays his hand on my cheek and tries to give a comforting smile. "Sorry. Maybe I'll see you again before the wedding."

I twist my lips in disappointment and shrug without conviction. "Yeah, maybe."

Benjamin leaves and I straighten myself out for work. He doesn't show up for lunch and I manage to make it most of my shift without messing anything up. No spills. No crashes. But I do keep mixing up a lot of people's orders.

Sandwiches all look the same from the top!

Luckily, that isn't a problem I have during my dinner shift and by the end of the night, I am deemed a proper waiter. The other wait staff stop giving me death glares and even Julian says that I've improved remarkably quick. I want to be excited about this...but it's just a temporary job. I honestly have no intention of _ever_ being a waiter again after this cruise is over. And I can't get my mind off Benjamin.

I know...I've become possessed by the thought of him. But I can't help it. My head keeps replaying the time we spent together and painfully reminding me that it most likely will not be repeated. I don't understand why he's so adamant that we can't be together. Yeah, we just met – well we technically met in school, but properly met – but that doesn't change anything. There was a connection, a spark.

When it feels right, it feels right! End of.

And I get that his parents don't approve, but that hasn't exactly stopped him so far. I hate the idea of hiding relationships or sneaking around, but I would be willing to stay low key. We could go places that his parents would never know about. I can tell by his accent his from England proper and I have no problem Apparating anywhere to see him. I know this amazing bar that -

Then it hits me. Maybe it isn't his parents at all.

Maybe he doesn't feel the same connection I do.

Maybe it's just about the one night stand for him.

Maybe he already has a boyfriend.

Maybe he just isn't interested.

Now I feel about a dozen times worse than before and I can't wait to get to that stupid staff party. At least I'll get to watch some fireworks and drink until I forget about what's-his-face.

My decision to forget about _him_ lasts all of fifteen seconds because when I step out of the dining room door, Benjamin is standing there waiting for me. At least, I think he's waiting for me. He's leaning on the wall and staring off in the distance, but what other reason would he have to be there? The dining room isn't exactly the type of place that you'd hang out in.

I linger behind the others, acting like I have to tie my shoe, and once they've all gone, I approach him. "I thought you had somewhere to be tonight." I look around for signs of prying eyes before stepping closer than normal personal space should allow.

"I do." He tips his head to the side and lazily looks over at me. "However, it seems I've come down with an excruciating headache and have decided to spend the night in my bed, getting well."

His lips pull into that sneaky smirk and I put my hand on the wall to maintain my balance. "Well -" I take a daring reach for Benjamin's hand and he doesn't move it away "- I have a much better cure for that than bed-rest." Our fingers slip together and I tug him in the general direction of the far deck.

"Wait." He squeezes my hand and brings me to a stop. "We can't stay very long though, alright? I don't want one of the other employees to decide they wanna report back to my parents."

"They wouldn't." I have no idea if this is accurate, but I'm trying to be comforting. If it happens, it happens, there's nothing that excessive worry can do to help him right now. I grab the front of his tee-shirt and tug him closer, then give him a quick, reassuring kiss. "It'll be fun. We don't even have to be that close if it'll make you feel better. We can just hang out." I'm hoping he'll argue that fact, but he doesn't and I guess that's okay. I don't blame him. So we walk down to the party deck side-by-side, looking more chummy than romantic. I stuff my hands into the pockets of my slacks to keep from succumbing to the urge to hold his hand.

As we approach what appears to be a loud, excited gathering of the ship's employees, I notice that I can't hear a single thing. People are dancing, but I can't hear music. People are laughing and talking, but no sound reaches me and Benjamin. The moment we reach the group, I can feel a charm wash over us and suddenly the sound of laughing, music and clanking drinks hits us full force. I can't help but marvel at the sheer size of the sound impediment charm.

I grin over at Benjamin and nod towards the bar. If you can call it a bar. It's technically just one bloke with a few dozen bottles of liquor and some glasses bearing the ship's name on them. "You want rum?" I assume this because it was drink of choice when I met him. It seems like ages ago that I found him falling down drunk, trying to drown out reality.

"Rum? No." He shakes his head and requests a vodka with lime. "I only drink rum when I'm... Well I don't drink it when I'm in a good mood, let's leave it at that."

"So you're in a good mood now?" I get myself vodka as well, only I forsake the lime in favour of a splash of cranberry juice.

"I am in a very good mood right now." He flashes me a big smile and sips at his drink. I can see him watching the dancing couples over the top of his glass, but he says nothing about them. "So you said there's going to be fireworks? Won't that attract attention?"

"I imagine they'll save them for last. If they're smart at least." I take a drink and watch as his eyes move towards the dancers once more. "Do you wanna dance?"

"No, no. I'm...I'm good."

You know how sometimes a person can tell you one thing, but every inch of their body says something else? Well Benjamin's like that right now. He's saying he doesn't want to dance, but his eyes won't leave the couples, he keeps moving his feet, his hands can't seem to be still. I get it; he's nervous. And I'm trying to be supportive about his fears, I don't believe in forcing people to come out, but I truly think if he'd just relax, he'd actually have fun.

"Well I want to dance."

"Go on then." He nods towards some guys hovering around the edge of the party.

He's joking, right? "You're joking right?" He better be joking. "Let me rephrase myself then. I want to dance _with you_. Come on, you owe me."

"I owe you?" Benjamin sounds indignant, but he holds his hand out towards me. "How do you figure?"

"Well, you keep running away from me. I think that entitles me to at least one dance."

We move into the middle of the dance floor area – because it certainly isn't an actual dance floor – and I put my arm around his neck. At first, he tenses up. He darts his eyes around and hesitantly puts his empty hand on my waist.

"No one cares." I pull him a little closer and he seems to relax slightly. Again, I really don't know if anyone cares. I barely know the other staff here. But once again, it's the kind of situation that worry will do nothing to solve.

He gives me a little nod and moves his hand to my lower back. I've never had a problem with public displays of affection, so I move as close as possible and push my fingers into Benjamin's hair. The music is hardly my taste, but it's got a nice rhythm, so it'll do. I feel him pull back and for a moment, I'm afraid that he's changed his mind.

"Turn around, blondie." He gives me a half spin and pulls me back against his body. One arm wraps around my waist and the other raises to his lips so he can finish off his drink. I tip my head back onto his shoulder and he smiles over at me. "You do this a lot?" He pushes the hair back out of his eyes and moves his lips near mine.

I reach up and put my arm around his neck; my fingers once again find those soft blonde strands and give them a little tug. "Do what? Dance?" I lean towards his lips but he keeps them far enough away.

"Dance like _this_ with guys you barely know." He moves his fingertips across my stomach, just under my shirt and my skin feels like it's on fire. I shake my head no and he smirks. "What makes me so special then?"

"Who said you were special?" I tease. I push against the back of his head and steal a quick, but soft, kiss. "Is it such a crime to like you?"

Benjamin drops his hand and takes my drink. I'm inclined to take it back, but if it'll make him feel more comfortable, then he's welcome to it. I turn back around and he drapes his arms over my shoulders, his face coming close and his eyes meeting mine. I wind my hands into his tee-shirt and tug him against me. The music speeds up and so do we.

Before long, tiny drops of sweat grace us both, but it's far from bothersome. He wears the shine well and his hair is damp. I'm not sure if the heat is coming off him or me but I love it. He's forgotten the others, that's clear in his eyes. His lips are so close, but we don't kiss. I squirm under his teasing breath and grab his belt buckle to pull him closer.

Benjamin presses the glasses into my hands and cradles my neck with his fingers. "You wanna get out of here?" he whispers.

I make an indistinguishable sound, that he accepts as a yes, and am rewarded with a smile. I place our glasses with the other rejects and allow Benjamin to take my hand. Behind us, I can hear the oh-so-familiar explosion of fireworks and for the first time in my life, I don't stop to watch. We hurry back down the deck and turn into the hallway that leads to the Servants' Quarters.

"My roommate." I come to a quick stop just outside of my room and throw Benjamin a worried glance. Slowly, I push the door open and peek inside. "He's not here!"

Benjamin pushes me further into the room and kicks the door closed behind him. I start to speak, but his lips cover mine before I get the chance. He grabs the hem of my shirt and tugs it over my head, his lips only breaking away for an instant before they're back. I whimper into the kiss as he backs me towards the beds.

"You sure about this?" he whispers. I nod. He grins and pulls off his own shirt that quickly joins my own in the floor. "There's no future here. No tomorrow." He kisses down the side of my neck and I don't care about tomorrow; I only care about now. And I say so, at least I think I do, it's all so fuzzy right now. "Then up you go, blondie."

I give him a huge smile and hurry up the ladder on the bunk beds. There's not much room between the ceiling and my bed, but it doesn't seem to bother him as he climbs up after me and crawls over.

Don't start getting too excited, you're not getting any _details_. That's a very private thing right there. I'll just tell you this...we had sex. We had _safe_ sex. Twice. And it was ah-may-zing. Before you ask, no, he doesn't just rush off afterward either.

Benjamin wraps his arms around me and puts his lips to my bare shoulder. I can feel him smile against my heated skin and I move closer. His breathing evens out and slows down. I wonder if it's safe to let him just fall asleep here in bed with me.

"Benji?" I hate what I'm about to do. "Can you stay? Or...do you have to go back to your room before they check on you?"

"Do you want me to stay?" He opens his eyes as slits and peeks over at me.

I bite my bottom lip and nod sheepishly.

"Then I'll stay." He gives me a sweet little grin and tightens his hold around me, his eyes closing once more. "Have you ever been to Greece?"

I'm a bit thrown by the question. "No, I haven't. Was in Italy once when I was twelve."

"I've always wanted to go to Greece." He shifts a little and brushes his fingers up and down my arm. "I once heard that one of their beaches has the whitest sand in the entire world."

"I've never been interested in traveling for the beach." I close my eyes and relax against Benjamin. "It's probably because I've lived on one my whole life."

"You live on the beach?"

"Yeah. It's beautiful." I lick my lips and try to use the most nonchalant tone possible. "You're welcome to come and see it anytime you'd like."

Benjamin lets out a soft laugh but doesn't reply.

"San Sebastián has nice beaches too."

"I hate Spain." Something in Benjamin's tone makes it very clear he doesn't wish to be questioned on this. He quickly changes the subject. "I don't like ships either. I feel like I'm going to be sick every time I get near the edge and my room has the most ridiculous nautical theme. I mean...we're on a fucking ship, I get it. I don't need some fake anchor pasted to my wall to remind me of this floating hell."

"Whoa, easy." I put my hand on Benjamin's shoulder and urge him to look at me. "Calm down, gorgeous, you're getting all worked up." I push my fingers through his hair and drag it back out of his eyes. "Why are you so angry?"

For a moment, Benjamin looks as though he's going to spill everything. But that moment snaps away with the sound of the bedroom door slamming against the wall. Let me tell you now, when you're naked, there is a long list of people you'd rather _not_ be forced to deal with.

Victoire is the top of that list.

...and currently standing at my door with her arms crossed and her eyes full of fire.

My sister turns around long enough for me and Benjamin to fish our trousers out of the bedsheets and hurry down off the bed. Victoire snaps a shirt off the floor – my shirt mind you – and thrusts it against Benjamin's chest. "Aren't you supposed to be resting?" Her words hiss through her teeth and she picks up Benjamin's shoes.

He tries to explain that he's got the wrong shirt, but the glare she gives him makes it all pointless. He takes his shoes from my sister and gives me a sad smile before she slams the door closed on him.

"I gave you two rules, Louis." Victoire curls her hands into fists and visibly restrains herself from striking me. "Two rules! And you didn't just break them, no...no, no. You _demolished_ them! Nothing can be halfway for Louis Weasley, can it? I tell you not to set off any fireworks and you send up an entire display that scares half the guests right out of their overpriced shoes!"

"Now, technically I didn't se-"

"I tell you not to sleep with any of the guests, and what do you do?" Is she actually expecting an answer out of me? "You don't just sleep with _any_ guest." Clearly she wasn't. "You have to fuck the bloody groom!"

"Victoire, I'm s..." What the hell did she just say? "I'm sorry, did you just say the _groom_?"

My sister's eyes fall over me with a mix of anger and pity. "Yes, I did." She thumbs towards the door and puts her hand on her hip. "You...didn't know?" Her fingers raise to her temples and she massages at them, reminding me of our father instantly. "What an asshole."

"Hey!"

"I wasn't talking about you."

"I know, you were talking about Benji."

"Benji?" She snorts out a sarcastic laugh and rolls her eyes towards the ceiling. "Gods, you've already gone and given him a little nickname? That's pathetic, Louis, even for you."

I press my lips together and tighten my jaw to keep from saying something excessively nasty to her. Instead, I busy myself with finding a shirt since she found it fitting to send mine off with Benjamin. I understand why she's saying what she is. Being sensible when it comes to love or relationships or sex has never been my strong point. I'm a hopeless romantic.

Mum always said it would make me happy one day. She was one too.

But the rest of my family thinks it makes me stupid and vulnerable.

"Louis, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But I'm just so...angry at you right now, you have no idea. If someone found out about this, I would lose my job."

I scoff. "Thanks."

"What?" She rounds on me and holds out her hands questioningly. "You expect me to feel sorry for you or something? You were with a guy who's getting married in just over a day. Did you not think to ask?"

"No, I didn't." I shove the drawer closed so hard my hair gel rattles and falls over. "I guess that was my mistake. But honestly, Victoire, why would I? He kissed me. He danced with me. Things like that send up the signs that a bloke is gay, not _engaged_!" I'm so angry I can't even see straight. "We're finished!" I stomp into the bathroom and close the door on my sister's continued ranting.

I've never felt so stupid in my life.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

**.**

Have you ever watched your own reflection and not believed it was you? That's how I feel right now. I can see my face, I can see my eyes, I can see my hair, but none of it feels right. And it's stupid, because this is hardly the first time I've been left with my heart in my hands or been shamed into hiding out in the bathroom. I've been on the receiving end of more than one black eye for hitting on the wrong bloke or being caught with someone's boyfriend. But it was different because I _knew_ what I was getting myself in to those times. And they were never engaged.

Just thinking of the word brings a sick feeling to my stomach. How could Benjamin just...not tell me something like that? How could I be too stupid to realize what was going on? And why won't Victoire shut the hell up outside of my bathroom door?

I turn on the tap and splash an excessive amount of water onto my face. It's refreshing and just what I need to snap me out of the strange fog that keeps weighing at my mind. I tug on my tee-shirt and open the bathroom door. My sister still looks irate, but before she can get in another word, I step around her. I can't be here right now. I can't deal with this right now. I can't deal with _her_ right now.

Never mind that I'm barefoot, I walk out into the hallway and start in the general direction of the guest lodgings. It's near midnight, but there's enough light on the ship to guide me along. I have no idea where to begin looking for Benjamin but I can't let that stop me from trying. I don't even know what I'm going to say to him once I do find him.

A few guests watch me with worried eyes as I pass. Probably wondering how one of the staff boys got out of his proper environment and into theirs. They stay silent though and I'm grateful for it. As the room numbers climb higher, I begin to lose hope. They're all identical.

But then, in one glorious burst of good luck, I hear it.

"Benjamin, maman said zat you were not feeling well. I wanted to check on you before I went to bed." The smooth French accent pours out of the painted red lips of one of the most beautiful girls I've ever laid eyes on. Hey, just because I'm gay doesn't mean I can't appreciate beauty when I see it. She has long, wavy dark hair and a petite figure. The girl holds herself with poise and style.

My knees go weak as I realize who I'm looking at. She is Benjamin's fiancée.

I hear his half muttered dismissive answer from inside the doorway and the girl turns away with a frown on her lips. She doesn't spare a single glance my direction as she passes but I wait until she rounds a distant corner before moving again. The door is still propped open slightly when I reach it. I take a deep breath and press my palm flat against the wooden surface.

"Benji...?"

"Louis?" Benjamin sounds startled but not angry. He rushes to the door and grabs my hand, pulling me inside of the large room in one fluid motion. "I'm sorry!" He kicks the door closed behind him and puts his hands against my shoulders. "Gods, blondie I never...I never meant for things to go that far, but we were having such a good time and I couldn't stop myself."

"You're engaged." My voice almost seems foreign. I push his hands from my shoulders and take a step back. "You should have told me."

"I was trying. When your sister walked in, I was trying to tell you." He takes a step forward.

"You should have told me _before_ we slept together." I hold up my hand and retreat further into the bedroom. "Was that her?" He nods solemnly and I sigh. "She's beautiful."

"Looks aren't everything."

"I don't understand." I fall onto the edge of his still-made bed and drop my gaze to the floor.

"Louis..." Benjamin drops to his knees in front of me and lays his hands on my legs. He meets my eyes and offers me the saddest smile. "I told you that my life was really complicated right now. And I told you that we couldn't be together."

"I know but..."

"And I told you before anything happened, that it was for one night only. And you said that it was okay." He squeezes my legs and moves to sit beside me on the bed.

"Well...I changed my mind." I shift to face Benjamin and reach for his hands. Surprisingly, he tangles his fingers with mine and I can't hold back a smile. "I'm not okay with just one night. I don't wanna sit by and let you marry someone you don't care about."

Benjamin shakes his head slightly and pulls my hands into his lap. "You don't have a choice, blondie."

"Yes, I do. I can...I can convince you to run away with me into the sunset, just like a real fairy tale."

"And we'll live on love and sunshine?"

"Don't be an asshole." I jerk my hands out of Benjamin's hold and scoff at him.

He jumps to his feet and drags his fingers back through his shaggy hair. "But that's what I _am_. I am an asshole. I thought that was pretty obvious already after what I've done. Look...I swear that I never meant to hurt you, but if you've got some delusion that we can actually be together, then I have got to knock some reality into you." He grabs my arm and tugs me up off the bed. "You need to go."

"No." I pull away, grab the front of his tee-shirt – which is actually my shirt, thank you Victoire – and urge him close. "You don't mean that. You felt that spark between us, I know you did."

"Louis...you need to go."

"Benji, wait. There's a bar -"

"- Louis -"

"- in the Hotel in San Sebastián. There's a bar downstairs, I saw it on the -"

"- blondie, please -"

"- brochure. Meet me there." My final words stop the steady progression to the door and Benjamin looks stunned into silence. So I push on. "Meet me there. We're docking tomorrow afternoon. The wedding isn't until the next morning."

"That's a very selfish thing for you to ask. You want me to what? Pick up and ditch my whole life for you? We barely know each other. Spark or not."

"You didn't seem to mind how _selfish_ I was being a few hours ago. I don't care how long it's been, we could have something really great. But that can't happen if you let other people set the course for your life." I can hear the agitation raising in my voice with every word.

"Right. I should just let _you_ set the course?"

"At least I'm not pointing you down a course that would make you miserable."

Benjamin considers his words very carefully before taking my hand into his. He places a soft kiss on my palm and drops his gaze to the floor. "This isn't a fairy tale. I'm not your prince charming. But you...you can go out and you'll find all that you want. But it isn't _here_." He walks me to the doorway and pulls it open. "I'm so sorry."

"Eight o'clock."

"What?"

"I'll be at the bar at eight o'clock. Just...consider it. You don't have to make a choice now, but I'll be there. I'll be there from eight to midnight and not a moment longer." I back out of the door and hesitantly let my fingers fall out of Benjamin's hold.

"I'm not going to be there," Benjamin whispers, his face looking pained.

"I will be." And with that, I turn around and walk back down the hallway. I never hear the door click closed, so I can only imagine that he watches me walk away. By the time I get back to the room, Julian is curled up on the bottom bunk, asleep. I slip into the bathroom and have a quick shower, but sleep is the furthest thing from my mind. I lay awake as the hours tick by slowly until a tiny shard of light breaks through the porthole style window in the room.

I serve breakfast in a fog and before I know it, I'm back in my room to pack up. We'll only be on the mainland for one night, so I don't have to bring everything along. I sling a small overnight bag over my shoulder and follow Julian dutifully. I'm not sure if he knows what happened, but he's barely spoken three words to me all morning. I'm grateful for the silence.

Since the hotel has a restaurant, there's nothing for the waiters to do on the mainland until the actual wedding rolls around. Once I get my things settled into the room, I opt for a nap rather than an escapade to the beach with the others. I toss and turn on the overstuffed mattress, begging for the time to stop crawling by so slowly. I manage to drift off around noon and when it's almost four, Julian's hand on my shoulder pulls me awake.

He looks concerned. "Are you alright?" He presses the back of his hand against my forehead and I'm hit with a wave of salty scent. The smell makes me scrunch my nose and pull away. "Sorry. I was just checking to see if you had a fever." At first, I think he's blushing, but on closer look, I realize he's gotten too much sun at the beach.

"I don't have a fever. I'm not sick. I'm just...tired I guess."

He doesn't look convinced, but he drops the subject. "I'm going to get a shower then a big bunch of us are going to get dinner. There is a little seafood place in town and we thought it would be nice to get away from all of -" he gestures to the room "- this for a while."

"Sounds fun." I sit up and stretch out, throwing Julian a tight smile.

"That was my obviously _too_ subtle way of asking if you wanted to come with us."

"Oh." I chew my lip and give a half shrug. "Will I be back by eight?"

"Have a date?"

"Something like that."

"Yes, you'll be back by eight." Julian flashes me a big smile and disappears into the bathroom.

Don't worry. I'm not going to bore you through dinner details. There's really nothing here to tell. We go. And by we I mean myself, Julian, Conner – remember the bloke I gave the fireworks too? – and his mate Derek and a few of the staff members that I haven't mentioned by name before and won't bother doing now. Dinner is great. We talk. We laugh. You just want to get to eight o'clock.

So do I!

I push open the door to the bar and offer up a few smiles to the people I pass while making my way to the first bar stool I see. I order up a fruity mix that's light on the alcohol; I don't want to overdo it in case I'm waiting around for the entire four hours I promised to stay. And time ticks by. One drink. Two drinks. One rejected offer to "get out of here". Three drinks. A nice chat with the bartender. Four drinks. Another rejected offer, this one not so delicately put. Five drinks. Six drinks. I try not to clock-watch, but it's so hard to keep my eyes off it.

As the little hand grows dangerously close to the twelve, the bartender offers me a coffee rather than another drink. As I lift the warmth to my lips, a flash of movement to my right catches my eye. It's thin and fluid, slipping itself onto the bar stool next to mine with the kind of delicate ease only a woman can command. I lower the mug and turn towards the figure, intending to relay a polite greeting, but my words hang painfully in my throat.

Benjamin's fiancée is sitting beside me, wearing a large, kill-him-with-kindness smile. She crosses her legs, pulls her silken white gloves from her fingertips and summons over the bartender without taking her light brown eyes off me. "A ginger ale," she requests before tossing back her hair.

I know I must look rude, but I can't stop staring at her in shock.

"I wanted to 'ave a little somezing to take zee edge off before bed, but I do not drink. I suppose zis will 'ave to do." She lifts her glass and tips it towards me before taking a long sip. "I do not zink I 'ave been zis nervous before." From the way she speaks, I can tell she isn't used to having to introduce herself. "But 'oo could blame me? Would you not be nervous?"

I clear my throat and play with the handle of my coffee cup. "I probably would be. I think it's natural."

"Of course." She waves her hand idly and leans towards me. "It is just...well I 'ave been waiting for zis day for so long. Dreaming about it. Planning every single detail to make it perfect." A whimsical sigh escapes her lips and she lays her hand over her heart. "I do not know what I would do if anyzing was to...mess up my big day. I would be...oh what is zee word? - _devastated_."

I'm not sure what to say so I just smile and give a little nod. I sip at my coffee, unable to shake her eyes from me. It's like she's waiting for a bloody answer or something. "I'm sure everything will go fine."

"Oh it 'ad better." She traces the rim of her glass with the end of one of her lengthy, silver coated nails and smiles. "You zink it will go alright, do you not?"

"I'm hardly an expert on weddings." I hope my answer will suffice but the look on the girl's face says that it does not, so I sigh and try again. "I think your wedding will be everything you've planned it to be." She seems satisfied enough to take her eyes off me and I look to the clock. It's 12:07 and my heart sinks. The fairy tale fantasy shatters and I'm sitting at a bar, sipping at weak coffee, next to a young woman whose fiancé I slept with only twenty-four hours ago. I don't know if it's the realization of all this or the drinks I had, but suddenly I feel sick.

I push myself off my bar stool and use the edge for balance as I fish for my wallet. I feel a set of thin, ice cold fingers move atop my hand and I look up to meet the girl's eyes once more.

"You are practically a friend now, talking to me when I was so nervous; 'elping me to feel better, consider your tab paid. Your drinks are on my fahzer tonight." She straightens her posture and turns back to the bar.

"Thank you," I manage to mutter before moving towards the door. I don't exactly want her paying for my drinks, but the idea of sitting there arguing about it seems infinitely worse at the moment.

"No need to zank me." She sounds so chipper. "It is zee least I could do, _considering_."

My body runs rigid for a minute but I refuse to take the bait. All I want is to get as far away from that...person as humanly possible. I stumble out of the bar and nearly plow right over Julian. The man catches me by the shoulders and gives me one of those oh-poor-Louis looks. I just frown.

"I was afraid this is what I would find when I came looking for you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I wrench myself out of his hold and crab-step away from him.

"I mean, I was afraid I would find you drowning your sorrows 'till you could not stand up anymore." He reaches for me again, but I step out of his range. "Louis, let me help you back upstairs."

"No." The actual nerve of this guy. He hasn't got a damn clue what he's talking about. So I tell him that. "You haven't got a damn clue what you're talking about. I wasn't _drowning_ anything; I was just having some drinks and I will have you know -" I hold up a single finger and wave it at him "- I am _not_ too drunk to stand. I had a few too many, but I can walk just fine." I finish off my defiance with a childish glare and stomp off back towards the elevators.

I'm going to be honest, I have no idea how I make it back to the room. It's almost as if the playback on my memory gets shut off for a while and the next thing I can comprehend, it's eight-thirty in the morning and Julian is rushing around to get dressed. He's making so much bloody noise and my head feels like it's going to implode. I groan loudly and pull my pillow down over my face to block out the searing sun that is our room light. Every tiny move the man makes reverberates through my body and makes me want to roll over and hurl.

Good morning, hangover. So nice to see you again.

I swear I haven't had one of these since I was sixteen. It's horrible. It's beyond horrible. Make it go away. I whine beneath my pillow and hear a faint laughter coming out of Julian. "It isn't funny."

"It is very funny to me." I hear him place something on the nightstand and shuffle away. "Take that when you're ready to get up. It will make you feel better. I have to go help set everything up for the reception. You have two hours, do not be late."

My entire body cringes and tenses when Julian closes the door and I chance a peek at what he's placed on my stand. It appears to be some kind of potion, but I roll over and ignore it. As much as I hate feeling sick, I hate taking medicine even more.

I'm stubborn. Big. Surprise.

After half an hour I drag myself out of the bed and into the shower. I'm still a little dizzy as I shuffle around the bedroom to change and dry my hair, but it's no where near as bad. I take a good hour to finish looking my best and make my way down to the kitchen. The overwhelming smell of food hits me in the face and I gag.

A grinning Julian pushes me back out the large swinging doors and points to a nearby table. "Have a seat, get yourself some breakfast. You have about twenty minutes still."

I think about protesting just for the pride of it, but I am pretty hungry. The remnants of the guests' breakfast buffet are still hanging around and I collect a huge plate of bacon and toast to take to the table with me. After a few minutes, Julian takes a seat across from me with a plate for himself and two cups of coffee. "Thanks." I happily take the cup he slides across to me and proceed to pour six packets of sugar into it. "Why are you being so nice to me? I haven't exactly been the most ideal roommate."

"Well...neither have I." He tips his coffee at me and gives me a huge smile. "Maybe we can call this a fresh start, yes?"

"Sure." I look down at my toast and try to tune out the distant sound of wedding bells.

I bet you're wondering where my bloody fairy tale ending is, aren't you?

So am I.

But I guess not _everyone_ gets to live happily ever after.

**The End.**

**...or is it?**


	6. Chapter Six

**Sink or Swim**

**.**

It's five o'clock in the morning. And I, Louis Weasley, am _awake_.

I know, shocking right? But I'll have you know that I've been getting up this early for over six months now. Not only am I awake, I'm fully clothed and about to leave my apartment. That's right..._my_ apartment. A lot has changed in the last three years. I have my own apartment and I have a job that I love. But what's not to love when you work for yourself?

I'd like to say that I stuck to my word about quitting that whole waiter gig when we got back to port, but I didn't. I actually stayed on with the cruise ship for almost two years. But five months in, I was promoted to bartender, so it wasn't all waiting tables. The money was damn good too. By the time I got ready to quit, I'd saved up enough to purchase a product stall and a space in Diagon Alley to stick it. I was, however, lacking the funds to properly develop my product line.

What's my product line? _Fireworks_.

I create and sell my own specialty mix of fireworks. Thanks to a rather generous investment from my Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey, I was able to establish a quality product line. And I do mean investment. I had to make a presentation and everything. They were very by-the-book about it and they have something called 'stock' in my company. I don't really understand all that technical jargon, but I know my own family wouldn't mess me over, so I'm not to arsed to care about it.

My stand has been running steady for six months now and I couldn't be happier with how well it's going. I'm not flooded with business, but every week I get more sales and I have a meeting with the Minister's party coordinator next week for a possible contract on their New Years Gala. Life is going really well right now.

And I look even better.

...just saying.

Where was I? Right. Leaving the apartment.

I grab my heavy robes as I head out of the door and pull them around my body before I reach the staircase. It's freezing outside and I wouldn't dare chance the weather without several layers. The snow crunches beneath my feet as I make my way the three blocks to the Leaky Cauldron. My coffee order is ready for me the moment I step inside the door and I hand over the eight Sickles for the two to-go cups. I hold the coffee close for warmth as I push out the back door and make my way into the frosted Diagon Alley.

A head full of long, brown curls bobs into my vision the second I step through the barrier. "I was hoping to make it there before you this morning!" A pretty girl with big, brown eyes bats her lashes at me in a mock puppy dog attempt. "You always get the coffee. You're going to have to let me start getting it." She pulls the extra cup from my hand and takes a long sip.

This is Amelia. I met her when I opened up my stall. She owns the one right next mine; makes and sells charmed jewelry. It isn't fancy stuff, more like what you'd buy for your six-year-old sister, but it's really good work. Dragon charms that breathe fake fire, necklaces that change colours with your mood, earrings that double as long distance spy transmitters; just to name a few of her most popular items.

She's pretty much my favourite person in the world right now. In the short time since I met her, we have officially reached best friend status. And since she's completely mad about my cousin Molly, there's none of that weird one-sided attraction I get off other girls.

"Louis, are you even listening to me?" Amelia smacks my arm, but I barely feel it through my heavy layers of robes. "I asked you if Molly said anything about me after I left last night."

She did? I must have zoned out. "Oh. Yeah, she went on about you for hours." I can't keep the teasing out of my voice and she can tell, earning me another smack to the arm.

Do girls really think that hurts?

"Easy, tiger." I laugh and put my arm around the short statured girl as we head to our stall locations. It only takes a few minutes to deactivate the Caterwauling charms and remove the tarps then we're both open for business.

Diagon Alley starts to fill with patrons over the next few hours and I manage one sale in the time. But that's not bad, usually my real business doesn't start until after lunch. I climb off my stool and start digging through the stock I have inside the base of my stall when I hear something that hasn't befallen my ears in three long years.

"Hey blondie."

My blood runs cold and I stand up so fast I nearly smack my head on the lip to the storage door. It can't be. Surely it can't be. After all this time, there's no way _he_ could be standing behind – He's standing behind me! Three years hasn't done a thing to take away instant recognition. It's Benjamin.

Yeah, _that_ Benjamin. Cruise ship, gorgeous, ran off to get married Benjamin. And wow does he look good. He's gotten a bit taller and his hair's gotten a bit shorter, but it's still that dirty blonde perfection. He keeps rolling onto the heels of his feet as he watches me, his hands twisting around inside the deep pockets of his heavy robes.

I stutter out something that I fully intend to be "hi" and drag my hand back through my hair, tugging the golden blonde locks into proper place. I can see a smirk pull across his still reddened lips and his dark blue eyes settle onto my face. It's all I can do to swallow down a lump of air and make another go of speaking. "How uh...how can I um...help you?"

Benjamin doesn't seem phased by my business-only greeting. He just turns his attention to the fireworks I have on display and begins looking them over. "Yeah, you can help me." He throws me a quick smile before picking up a small cracker to examine closer. "I'm having a party tonight. Just a small get together. I wanted to put on a nice little show for my guests."

"Well you don't want this; it's mostly noise and smoke." I take the cracker from Benjamin's hand and do my best to keep from looking into his eyes. God help me if I get stuck in those damn eyes of his again... "A party eh?"

"Yeah, it's a celebration. An anniversary, actually."

"Oh?" My attention drops from the world and focuses on nothing but Benjamin. No way he's talking about his wedding anniversary. That's a date I will _never_ forget and it isn't for another seven months. "What uh...what's it the anniversary of?" I try to sound casual about it, but it's a lost cause. I come off more needy than I have in a long time.

"It's exactly one year since my divorce was finalized."

What did he say? Did he say divorce? As in...divorce? As in no longer married? As in holy crud Benjamin no longer has a wife? As in he could be sing-

No! I can't let myself get carried away. This guy hurt me. He tricked me. He...he...he has really pretty hair. I wonder if it's still as soft as it used to be.

"I'd say that's something worth celebrating, wouldn't you, blondie?" The smile on Benjamin's lips keeps growing as he picks up a bigger firework. "With something like this, maybe?"

I snatch the cartridge from his hand and shake my head. "You don't want that one either. It's more for a kid's party. Animals and such." I clear my throat and place it back on the tiny pedestal from which it was plucked. "You need these. I have them in six different colours or you can get a special blend of colours. I can mix one in about fifteen minutes if you want." I hand him some modest, but unique cartridges. "They're timed. You shoot it off once and it'll create a show on it's own. The bursts come in sets of four and continue half an hour. If you're looking for a little more flash, I have some charmed options. But they're not allowed in Muggle districts."

"I'll take some." Benjamin picks out half a dozen different fireworks and loads them into a bag. It feels weird taking money off him, though I'm not sure why. He's just a normal customer! He pockets his change and looks back up, his eyes instantly grabbing mine. "What are you doing tonight? It's just going to be a small party, but I wouldn't mind adding one more to the list."

"Me?" I fold my arms across my chest, a sad attempt at putting up a strong front. "You want me to come to your divorce anniversary celebration?" It's almost amusing just to say.

"There's gonna be an amazing firework show." Benjamin holds up his bag and wiggles it towards me. "I got some amazing stuff from the best pyrotechnic artist around."

I can feel my face flood with heat and duck my head to hide my blush. "Now you're just messing with me." I toe at the rung on my stool and rub the back of my neck.

"No, it's true. I've heard great things." Benjamin steps closer and turns his receipt over onto the small counter of my stall. "Just think about it, yeah?" he says as he scrawls down an address. He slides the paper over towards me and tucks his pen back into his pocket. "If you don't come...I'll just have to come back and harass you again."

"Would it land me more sales?" I take the address and slip it into my pocket.

"Eight o'clock. Don't be late, blondie." He winks at me quickly before turning and heading off down Diagon Alley.

All I can do is watch his back and chew on my bottom lip. It's a horrible idea, right? I can't get mixed up with this guy again. What if he's not really divorced? What if it's just another situation like before? He's the entire reason that I play it safe when it comes to dating now. I can't just jump -

"Who was that?" My thoughts are cut off by Amelia's excited voice. "He was a cutey, right? He was. I can tell." She nudges me in the ribs with her bony elbow and I grab at my side, being more dramatic than needed. "Come on, tell me," she whines.

She whines nearly as much as I do.

Not that I whine...

Anyways!

"That was Berrrnrnrr," I mutter. Okay, I don't want to tell her. She knows the entire story of what happened with Benjamin on that infernal ship and I really don't want her advice.

That's a lie! I want her advice so bad right now, but I'm too stubborn to ask.

"I'm sorry, that's either the most unfortunate name _ever_ or you're keeping it from me!" Amelia prods and pokes at my ribs until I'm launched into a fit of the most unmanly giggles you can imagine. She always does this when she wants answers and it's so unfair! "Come on, Weasley, out with it. Don't make me hurt you." She starts laughing too and finally pulls her hands away to let me speak.

"It was Benjamin." I shiver over my entire body to shake the lingering feeling of being tickled. My face is flushed red and I try to cover it but she grabs my hands. I can see the wheels turning in her head, trying to snap the pegs together.

"Benjamin? You mean...the guy who got -"

"- married. Yes. Him." I pull away and take a seat on my stool, avoiding her probing gaze.

"What did he want?"

"To buy some fireworks of course." I clear my throat and try to wrestle my tone into being casual. "And to invite me to a party to celebrate the year anniversary of his divorce."

The squeal she lets out...don't get me started. I have to cover my ears. I cringe as I watch Amelia begin to pace and rattle off way more advice options than I thought would be possible. I really thought it was just a should-I-go-should-I-not kind of situation, but apparently I'm wrong. Because according to her, I don't just have to decide about the party; I have to figure what I'm going to do about the "entire Benjamin situation" for the next fifty thousand years.

Okay, I'm exaggerating, but she has so many different options!

How do girls hold so much...thought in their heads at one time? Honestly? Doesn't it get exhausting? I would be exhausted if I were a girl. It looks like so much work.

"Louis Weasley, you pay attention to me!" She slaps my arm again and I roll my eyes. "I'm serious right now. This is a big deal."

"I know it is. I just...I just...I don't know." I let my head drop into my hands and sigh. "You know I've never really moved past what happened and this could be my chance. This could be a real chance to get everything I should have gotten then." I meet my friend's eyes and hope that she'll agree.

She doesn't. "You're mental. You can't go rushing off to some party with a bloke that broke your heart!"

"Broke my heart? That's a bit dramatic, don't you think?" I hold up my hand and smirk. "Yeah, he hurt me but that was so long ago and seeing him now I..."

"You're not thinking with your brain right now, Louis." Amelia smacks me in the back of the head.

...that one hurt.

I frown and rub at the spot she just assaulted, mostly fixing my hair. "So you think I shouldn't go?"

"That's exactly what I think. I think you should tell him to bugger off."

"Fine." I sigh again and start shuffling through some receipts.

"You're going to the party, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I am." I look up at my friend with the most sincere expression I have. "I would be a complete idiot to let this pass me by without trying. And what's the worst that can happen? I end up no different than I am now. _Single_."

Amelia pulls a face that screams disapproval, but like the wonderful friend she is, she contains the urge to argue with me."I...I just hope that you don't end up getting hurt, Louis." She pats my shoulder and heads off to help a customer at her own stall.

I change my mind at least thirty times over the course of the day. Sometimes it sounds like a horrible idea, but then I think about how wonderful it would be if we could actually pick up where we left off before. Obviously things are different now if he's single. And he came up to me in public, plain as day, so maybe he's even over all that hiding stuff.

It's so frustrating!

By the time six-thirty rolls around, my head is spinning. Amelia comes over to help me put the tarp back over my stall and reset my charms. Thankfully, she keeps whatever she's thinking to herself. She gives me a hug as we finish. Which is weird. I can't remember her ever actually hugging me like that. She half-hugged me once when she was drunk and about to trip over a curb. Does that count?

"Just be safe, alright Louis?" Amelia looks into my eyes and gives me a sad smile.

"I always am. I thought you didn't want me to _see_ him though." The smirk on my lips and the tone of my voice makes her burst into giggles.

"I didn't mean it like that!" She covers up her reddened cheeks with her hands and shakes her head. "I hate you sometimes." She fake pouts at me.

I just grin and hug her back. "Yeah yeah." I pull away and put on my serious-time-Louis face. "I'll be fine. I promise. I'll be safe and cautious and all of that other boring stuff. I'll see you in the morning."

"Coffee's on me this time, don't you dare get it first!" she calls as I take off back towards the Leaky Cauldron. I just wave my hand at her. She knows better than that.

So...I'm going. I'm most certainly going to the little party...thing. I can't ever remember feeling this nervous before. I spend half an hour on my hair alone. I swear, it's never been this unmanageable ever in my entire life and tonight it decides to fight with me. I change clothes about six times. Though, that's less to do with being nervous and more to do with being...me.

I like to look good!

I finally settle on a nice pair of tan slacks and a light blue, button-up shirt that matches my eyes near exact. Then I start to worry. Should I bring something along? Mum always taught me to be polite and bring the host a gift when you attend a party, but that could just mean those stuffy adult parties where they make you eat food the size of your pinky finger and pretend to laugh.

Either way, I play it cautious and grab a bottle of vodka on my way over. I can only hope it's what Benjamin still likes. It's a short trip to his apartment and at just a few minutes after eight, I arrive at the building. It's a nice place, nothing fancy, but not shabby either. A little small. The building has one of those buzzers to be let up, but the door isn't even locked when I try it, so I don't bother with the button. I take another look at his address to check the flat number and head upstairs.

Benjamin opens his door with a bright smile on his face. He's changed clothes also, he looks...good. I mean very good. All fresh and pressed and his hair looks newly combed. Don't get me wrong, he looks good when he's jeans-and-tee-shirt-messy-hair also, but this is a different kind of good. He must be out to impress his party guests. "Is that for me?" He points to the small bag in my hand.

I just nod. It seems that my voice has decided to take the night off. With wide eyes, I follow him into his tiny flat and hand over the bottle. "I uh...I wasn't sure if um...if..." Well my voice is back, if only my brain can catch up with it and form some facsimile of a sentence, I'd be on a roll.

Benjamin gives me a smile that leaves me wondering how I'm still standing up. "How about I pour us a drink and we can catch up?" He wiggles the vodka bottle and walks into the kitchen. "I have some limes, some orange juice, and some club soda. What'll you have with it?"

"Um..." I tug nervously at the hem of my shirt and step further into the apartment. Something seems off, but I can't quite place what yet. "Just the soda is fine." My teeth tug at my bottom lip as I move into the sitting area of Benjamin's flat. And it hits me.

We're alone.

"Didn't you say you were having a party?" I almost laugh at how long it took me to realize there was no one else here. "Am I really early or something? You said eight, right?"

Benjamin walks into the room and holds out a glass to me. "It seems..." he takes a short sip of his drink and smiles behind his glass "...that I forgot to invite anyone else."

"Forgot?"

"Maybe it was a little intentional." He steps towards me and takes my hand into his. "I was afraid you wouldn't come if I asked you over on your own."

I'm torn between being annoyed at his dishonesty and flattered at the fact he would stoop to that just to see me again. I swallow back the lump in my throat and slide my hand further into his. "I probably wouldn't have. I was hesitant to come as it was."

"Can you forgive me for being a sneak then?" He tugs my hand and pulls me closer, his eyes bearing down into mine.

"Of course." I take a long sip of my drink to stall for time and pull away from Benjamin. "You have a nice flat."

"I'm making you uncomfortable, aren't I?" Benjamin places his drink on a side table and takes a place in front of a stereo. "You seem really tense. And I don't blame you. What happened between us was...it was awful. And I've never stopped regretting it." He turns on the stereo and soft music starts to pour out all over the room from tiny speakers. "I was a complete arse to you."

"Yeah, you were." I take a long drink and put my glass on the table beside his. "But...if you're really sorry -"

"- I am. -"

"- and you're really single -"

"- I swear I am. -"

"- and you're serious about giving us another chance -"

"- Gods, yes, I am. -"

"- then I forgive you. And...we can..." I move closer to Benjamin and hold out my hands to him. He tangles his fingers into mine without a moment's hesitation and I pull him against me. "Dance with me?Maybe we could start over?" I run one hand down his chest and look up into his eyes.

His expression shifts from apologetic to intrigued. I can practically read the excitement flashing across his eyes as he wraps his arms around my waist and holds me tight. "I like the sound of that." He smiles down at me and starts to sway gently with the slow music.

Don't ask me what the song is. I'm not even paying attention to it. All I can see is Benjamin's dark blue eyes, and all I can feel is his body moving rhythmically against mine, and all I can think about is how much I want to drag him into the other room and rip his clothes off.

A bit much?

I can't help it!

I lock my arms around his neck and he touches his forehead to mine. My eyes close and for several glorious minutes, the rest of the world vanishes away. His hands move up and down my back, searching for a place to rest – or maybe he's just enjoying the idea of touching me. My hold around his neck gets tighter and soon there is no space left between our bodies. I can feel his breath against my lips and my mind starts to spin. I know this is when I should be pulling away, insisting that we take things slow and go easy at this. I know that. But it doesn't change how I feel.

He wants me. And I want him just as bad. We're both adults. We're both single. The past is behind us. There's not reason we shouldn't give in to what we want.

My heart races when I feel his lips brush against mine. He's tentative at first, the touch is soft and smooth and for a moment, I'm afraid he'll pull away. I lean into his touch and he responds with the same eagerness raging through my mind. His arms wrap tightly around my body and his lips crash into mine. His teeth nip over my bottom lip and the sound I make is almost embarrassing.

But Benjamin either doesn't mind or takes pleasure in knowing how much of an impact he can have on me with such a small gesture. It only takes one glance towards the hallway for him to understand exactly what I want. He takes my hand and steals a quick kiss before leading me into the bedroom and kicking the door closed behind us.

I'm pretty sure it's obvious what happens next. There's no need to divulge what exactly goes on behind closed doors. Literally. Nevertheless, you can guess that we have a very interesting and busy night. He asks me to stay after and I happily do. I spend the night sleeping wrapped in his arms. Benjamin holds me like I'm going to slip away and turn to dust at morning's light.

I've never felt so wanted before. And I don't mean physically, either. I mean...truly wanted.

...maybe it's just my hopeful romantic mind running away with me.

But I hope it's more. I hope it's real.

I need it to be real.

I wake up to the wonderful scent of coffee. The bed is annoyingly empty and the sun is peeking the curtains across the room, streaming right into my face. I toss back the sheets and climb out of bed, then slip on my boxers and shirt from the night before. In my groggy state, I secure the buttons improperly but I don't even care. I follow the intoxicating aroma into the kitchen and smile when I spot Benjamin standing at the counter, preparing two cups.

"I was about to come wake you." He slides one cup towards my direction and curls his finger to call me over. The smile on his face...it's more than I could have ever dreamed of. He holds my eyes as I approach and there's no doubt left in my mind.

This time...I'm getting my happily ever after.

** The end.**

* * *

><p><strong>A Note From the Author: Thank you for reading! :) –Jenna<strong>

I would like to add that a "death threat" is not ever endearing. It is not a compliment. It does not make me feel like you just love my story so much you go crazy. It makes me mad. Very mad. So to the anon who thought it would be cute to "hunt me down and kill me if this story ends as sad as Wonderwall" I say this: _Go away_. Because you are not cute or funny or clever. You're out of line and I am not amused.


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